Baby, it’s cold outside, but if you find yourself feeling cold even when it’s anything but, then this could be a sign of iron deficiency.

Your body needs iron to help carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body and to help produce energy. Think of your body as a coal furnace and iron as the coal; if you’re not putting enough coal into the furnace, then it will never create enough heat to warm up all the rooms of the house. The same goes for iron: if you’re not getting enough of it, then your body won’t have the energy it needs to keep you warm, so you’ll continue to feel cold until you fuel it with iron.

Body temperature is controlled by a part of our brain. Since most heat is lost at our extremities, when our body temperature is lowered or is falling, the body will divert blood away from the skin and direct it to the vital organs (heart, lungs, brain and kidneys). Because of this, you can experience chills due to decreased circulation, or shivering, which is your body’s way of trying to generate more heat.

How Do I Know When It’s Iron Deficiency?

So, how do you know if the cold you’re feeling is normal or a sign of iron deficiency? Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I often feel cold when no one else is complaining about it being cold?
• Are my hands or feet always cold?
• Is my skin pale?
• Have I been feeling unusually tired?
• Does my diet contain enough iron-rich foods?

Some people have more of an intolerance for cold than others, but if you feel cold all the time no matter what you do to try to warm up, then don’t just brush it off as a normal effect of winter. Intolerance to cold is a sign of low iron and could also be the result of other medical conditions. See if you have any other signs/symptoms of iron deficiency using this Symptoms Checker.

Speak to your doctor about having your blood tested for iron deficiency. Warming up, and kissing all of those layers and blankets goodbye, could simply be a matter of adding more iron-rich foods or an iron supplement to your diet.

Content and advice provided on The Iron Maiden is for information purposes only and should not serve as a substitute for a licensed health care provider, who is knowledgeable about an individual’s unique health care needs